Danny Boyle In Talks For Steve Jobs Film

I can confirm that talks are down the road with Danny Boyle on the Aaron Sorkin-scripted Steve Jobs movie at Sony, based on Walter Isaacson’s book. The deal is by no means sealed, but the studio is moving quickly to get this to the start line. A report in THR says Leonardo DiCaprio is the choice to star, and his name was in circulation at the very beginning when the book first was optioned by Sony with producers Mark Gordon and Guymon Casady, who were joined by Scott Rudin when Sorkin came aboard to adapt. DiCaprio just committed to The Revenant with Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for fall, so the timing might not work. But this is a movie on a very fast track. Boyle’s repped by WME.

17 Comments

Richard313 • on Apr 21, 2014 4:04 pm

I admire and respect DiCaprio immensely, but the only way this picture works is with Bale, regardless of who is at the helm.

ditka • on Apr 21, 2014 4:04 pm

are you kidding me? did you not write an article 1 WEEK AGO about the same project and the “perils of tracking board journalism”? you said in that article, “All along, people close to the project cautioned that while they’d gone to Fincher and he liked the script, the director had not committed.”

now 7 days later, you write an article about Fincher’s potential replacement and say, “The deal is by no means sealed”. So, which is it Flemming? Is it ok to report on rumors or not?

Anonymous • on Apr 21, 2014 4:04 pm

If DiCaprio’s portrayals of Howard Hughes and J. Edgar Hoover are a barometer, then casting him as Steve Jobs will also lack in believability.

Liam Gallagher • on Apr 21, 2014 4:04 pm

Bale seems like a perfect fit here. I dig Leo, but I’m not so sure about him as Jobs.

Dalt • on Apr 21, 2014 4:04 pm

Bummer. Fincher and Bale sounds a lot more appealing. Break open those piggy banks, Sony!

carson • on Apr 21, 2014 4:04 pm

I have the utmost respect for Leo DiCaprio , but he is not the most talented actor of his generation . Tom Hardy easily stole his thunder in Inception – without breaking a sweat. Ed Norton , Michael Fassbender , and Sam Rockwell are also more gifted than DiCaprio . Actually , I feel Ed Norton , Christian Bale , and Tom Hardy ( even though he is very short ) would be a better fit for Jobs than Leo . I would have loved for Mike Nichols or Bennett Miller to direct this biopic .

Dan • on Apr 21, 2014 4:04 pm

I agree. He’s good and can be great sometimes but is definetely overrated.

And Jennifer Lawrence is this generation’s Dicaprio (she deserved all the nominations for Winter’s Bone but after that, all the awards glory is a result of THG boxoffice)

Sly • on Apr 21, 2014 4:04 pm

Slum Dog Billionnaire played by Leo? No thanks. There are far better casting options, including Christian Bale.

M. Kelley • on Apr 21, 2014 4:04 pm

Love Danny Boyle and everything he has ever done but with “The Social Network” Facebook was at its zenith in terms of awareness. Apple as a brand seems a little like it’s treading water. Jobs’ story is also awfully well-trodden. The moodiness, the reversals, the perverse visionary guru thinking-out-of-the-box-thing. Half the task here would be shining up known-quantity cliches it seems to me. Any of the actors mentioned here would be up to the task. Each would bring a different skill set and all are riveting in their own way as would be some others. But is it a sound idea? There’s a side of me that believes that it’s either too late or too early but I’m not sure which. Big budget star vehicle or go home though I think. Commitment and might might make roll-over right.

DB • on Apr 21, 2014 4:04 pm

I love Danny Boyle but I prefer Fincher (I know he’s out and I think it’s a huge mistake).

And Dicaprio? No, thank you.

C.K. • on Apr 21, 2014 4:04 pm

DiCaprio is not right for the role. Sorry. He has some acting chops, yes, but he can’t pull off Jobs, primarily because he bears no resemblance to him. Christian Bale at least evokes Jobs physically — and Bale’s immense chameleon-like acting depth will take him the rest of the way. If they cast DiCaprio I’ll just go watch the Ashton Kutcher version. At least Kutcher looked like Jobs. I’m a huge Danny Boyle fan, but that casting would just sink this project.

INterested Observer • on Apr 21, 2014 4:04 pm

Peter Saarsgard or Jake Gyllenhaal would be awesome but also what about Hugh Jackman? No way will Leo do a role just played by Ashton–not his style.

Michael • on Apr 21, 2014 4:04 pm

While you all go about who is in and doing this film, I’m going to step and ask the real question: Do we really need another movie about Steve Jobs? The guy’s only been dead for a couple of years and we’ve already had 2 films about him that have been entirely unremarkable. Audiences don’t need another. Try again in 20 years when we truly see what kind of lasting legacy Jobs might have.

notjamesfranco • on Apr 21, 2014 4:04 pm

The script takes place across three different phases in Apple’s history: the launch of the Mac, the iPod, and iPhone if I remember correctly.

Why not cast three different actors to play the 30-40-50 Jobs?

Who Asked You Anyway • on Apr 21, 2014 4:04 pm

Having actually read the book I would have to say Steve Jobs does not come off as sympathetic AT ALL. In fact, I see a difficult transition from being a complete asshole to everyone and then being diagnosed with cancer. When his stupidity in treatment options are revealed it will be hard to feel too sorry for him.

I think everyone knows how brillianct he was but not many know what an unkind, unlikeable, egomaniac
he was and who cares? I’m not a Kutcher fan but he was well cast for TV and as I real the movie was a flop on all levels.

Mike • on Apr 21, 2014 4:04 pm

You already had Gates stealing the Jobs’ ideas while he was alive, now they want to profit as much as possible with the image of Jobs, and also want to sully his dignity (and he already was no saint), with Leonardo and illicit money from DiCaprio’s producers friends, after Jobs died?

Leonardo in, the movie doesnt represent art, its only one calculated project that Dicaprio wants to be, because it can have chances of award nominations.
Please, let Jobs rest in peace in his grave.

Bruce Micallef Eynaud • on Apr 21, 2014 4:04 pm

I’d like to see Tom Cruise play Jobs. He has a strange intensity that would suit the part. He’s a very good actor when given interesting material.